Chap. 370.—An ACT to extend the boundaries of the city of Portsmouth.

Approved February 28, 1894.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That the ter-
ritory embraced in the boundary lines hereinafter mentioned and
described shall be annexed to and constitute a portion of the city of
Portsmouth, in addition to its present territory, to-wit: Beginning
in the western boundary line of the city of Portsmouth at a point
one hundred and thirteen feet south from the south side of Glasgow
street; and from thence running west, parallel with said Glasgow
street, to the centre of the channel] of Scott’s creek; thence north-
wardly along the centre of the channel of said creek to low-water
mark of the Elizabeth river; thence eastwardly along the low-water
mark line of the said Elizabeth river to the northwestern boundary
line of said city; and thence southwardly along the western boun-
dary line of said city to the point of beginning.

2. The annexed territory described in the preceding section shall
be known as the fifth ward, and shall be entitled to two representa-
tives in the city council, who shall be chosen by the qualified voters
of said ward. The council of the city of Portsmouth shall designate
one or more voting precincts in said ward, and the registration o1
the qualified votes thereof shall take place at the same time and in
like manner as at present provided by law in said city.

_ 8. The commissioner of the revenue of that district in Norfolk
county in which the said annexed territory was embraced prior to
the adoption of this act shall furnish to the commissioner of the
revenue of the city of Portsmouth a full, complete and accurate list
of all the real estate embraced in said annexed territory, the names
of the persons to whom the same is assessed and the amount of said
assessment, and the said commissioner of the revenue of Norfolk
county, for his services in furnishing the said list, shall be allowed
out of the city taxes collected from said ward the same compensa-
tion allowed by law to the clerks of courts for copying records in
their offices. The commissioner of the revenue of said city shall, for
the first ten years after the adoption of this act, keep the lists of the
real and personal property in said ward separate from the lists of
the other real and personal property in said city; after the said ten
years they shall be embraced in the same lists. For his services he
shall receive such additional salary as the council of said city may
deem proper, to be paid out of the taxes collected from said ward.

4. The inhabitants of the ward hereby annexed, and the owners of
lands lying therein, shall not be liable on their real and personal
property within the said ward, for the period of ten years from the
passage of this act, for any part of the debt of the city of Portsmouth,
nor for the interest thereon; nor shall any tax be levied therefor ;
but for the first three years after the passage of this act, namely, for
the years eighteen hundred and ninety-four, eighteen hundred and
ninety-five and eighteen hundred and ninety-six. They shall pay
to the city of Portsmouth an ad valorem tax of ninety cents on the
one hundred dollars assessed valuation for each year, with an addi-
tional ten cents per year on the one hundred dollars for the next
seven years-; that is to say, for the year eighteen hundred and ninety-
seven the city tax shall be one dollar on the one hundred dollars;
for the year eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, one dollar and ten
cents; for the year eighteen hundred and ninety-nine, one dollar
and twenty cents; for the year nineteen hundred, one dollar and
thirty cents; for the year nineteen hundred and one, one dollar and
forty cents; for the year nineteen hundred and two, one dollar and
fifty cents; and for the year nineteen hundred and three, one dollar
and sixty cents; after which time the tax shall be the same as the
tax on other city property.

5. All the taxes collected from the said ward during the said ten
years except license, after deducting the expenses provided for in
section three of this act and the expenses of collecting and disburs-
ing the same, shall be paid into the treasury of the city and set
apart as a special fund for the schools, police, streets and other ben-
efits and improvements of the said ward, and shall be‘used for no
other purpose; and the council of the said city, after duly providing
for said expenses, shall from time to time make such appropriations
out of said fund for the benefit and improvements in said ward as it
may deem proper. But the said council shall make no appropriation
for the benefit of or improvements on the said ward except from
the said special fund so set apart from the taxes collected from said
ward. The licenses collected in said ward shall be paid into the
treasury of the city and applied to the general expenses of said
city.

6. The council of the city of Portsmouth, at its first regular meet-
ing after the passage of this act, or as soon thereafter as practicable,
shall elect two qualified persons from said ward as councilmen to
represent the said ward for the term commencing from the date of
such election and expiring June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and
ninety-five. Their successors shall be elected as provided by charter
of said city.

7. The said annexed territory shall, save as hereinbefore excepted,
be and continue in all respects a part and parcel of the city of Ports-
mouth, and entitled to all benefits and privileges of fire protection,
schools, services of the street inspector and health officer of the city
of Portsmouth, and all other benefits enjoyed by other wards of the
city, and be subject to all restrictions pertaining to other portions of
said city; and at the expiration of the said ten years from the time
this act takes effect the said annexed territory shall bear its ratable
proportion of such debts as may at that time be owing by the said
city.

8. This act shall be in force from its passage.